Cyborg

Screeching tires. 

Shock.

Horror. 

Pain.

Darkness.

...

When he woke, he couldn't move. Something wasn't right. Something held him down. He started to panic. Suddenly someone was there, haloed by the bright light above him. An angel? Had he died? Was he in heaven? Soft, soothing words. And then fire through his veins. His eyes closed. 

...

The next time he woke, he didn't panic. He kept his eyes closed. With his mind he reached out to try to move his fingers. That's odd. Only the fingers on his right hand seemed to be working. Oh my God. Had he lost his left arm?! He fought the rising panic, breathed slow, calming breaths. Now it was time to try his hand. Okay, good. That moved. His fingers could curl into a weak, fist. His wrist moved. There was no pain. 

When he focused some more he could feel an ache on the left side of his body. He tried to move his left fingers. Something happened....but what? He couldn't tell exactly. He heard a slight whirring sound, like a computer trying to work. Was there a machine attached to him? Slowly he tried to lift his head up.

And then the angel was there again. This time he understood her words. 

"Shhh. It's alright. They've fixed you. You were in a horrible accident. They saved your life. You're okay."

He tried to speak and found he couldn't. Maybe his mouth and throat were just dry. Or maybe...

"Don't try to speak. You'll need to learn that all over again. Doctor Spaulding is the best doctor around and he has the best team. They'll help you. They'll train you to walk again. They'll teach you to talk again. So far everything is going well."

He tried to give her a questioning look. She smiled. Her teeth were so white. Perfectly straight. He couldn't help but try to smile back. Something was keeping him from doing so. Something...He moved his tongue, touched his lips...On the left side he felt something metallic. His eyes widened. Panic set in. He couldn't control it.

"Hush now." And then fire in his veins again. His eyes closed.

...

The third time he woke, there was a man in the room. He was speaking to the angel. "He'll thank us in the end, Nurse. He was lucky we found him in time."

"He seemed so distressed, Doctor, I don't know if he'll truly thank us for this."

"Oh, he will. They always do." A pause. "Oh, look. Our patient is awake."

A shadow over the bed. He opened his eyes. 

"Hello, my boy. You're safe now."

He looked at the doctor and tried to convey a question with his limited capabilities. The doctor smiled. His teeth were yellowed and stained, sharp and crooked. "Nurse, the mirror. Let him see what he is now."

The mirror came. At first he didn't look. He was afraid. What sort of monstrosity was he? He suspected but feared to confirm it. Finally his eyes moved from the doctor to the mirror. 

His eyes widened. A sharp intake of breath. Panic. Fear. Hatred. Calming breaths. Reluctance. Acceptance. 

Cyborg.